Democrats Take Control of Congress in Major Midterm Setback for Trump
The midterm elections produced a sweeping Democratic victory, giving the party control of Congress and dealing Donald Trump’s Republican Party a major political setback. Democrats defended a key Senate seat in Michigan and won expected pickups in Maine and North Carolina before flipping five states usually regarded as firmly Republican: Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas. By Wednesday morning, they had secured 54 Senate seats, while Alaska remained uncalled and Mississippi was still too close to determine, with Democrat Scott Colom leading by only a few dozen votes.
Democrats had also won 228 House seats, ten more than required for a majority, and could potentially reach 240 or more as outstanding races were decided. They flipped governor’s offices in Texas, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Nevada, further expanding their control at the state level. Several congressional contests, including races in Colorado, Michigan, Maine, New York, California and North Carolina, were still awaiting final calls.
Republicans were described as deeply shaken, with uncertainty over the future of a party shaped by Trump for a decade. Trump nevertheless accepted the defeat and told The New York Times he was “absolutely willing to accept” the results, despite months of efforts by his administration to increase its influence over the election process. The results also produced historic firsts: Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor, Keisha Lanca Bottoms the first Black woman elected governor, and Abdul El-Sayed the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
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